REMBAU: Third time’s the charm for Modern Adventure Pro’s Riley Pickrell as he claimed Stage 6 of the 30th Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) yesterday.
Pickrell has been having a brilliant debut LTdL so far but a first-place finish has been his carrot on a stick - having finished behind XDS-Astana’s Matteo Malucelli in Stages 1 and 3.
However, the roles were reversed at the finish line in Rembau as the 25-year-old Canadian found himself right at the front of the pelaton in a bunch sprint completing the 121.3km course from Pandan Indah at 2’40:06.
Malucelli had to settle for second while Seppe Van Den Boer from Tudor Pro Cycling completed the podium in third.
“I’ve been hungry for a win all season. I’ve gotten so close so many times, so I knew my time would come,” said Pickrell.
His debut season with the American team includes a runner-up finish in Stage 4 of the Tour of Turkiye and a third-place result in the opening stage of the Arctic Race of Norway.
Pickrell credited his team for the victory, noting their critical role in positioning him ahead of Malucelli, the current blue jersey holder.
"It was clear that both Malucelli and I were super close today just like the past couple of stages."
"But my boys did an amazing job today. They put me in a better position and I truly owe it to them."
Despite the stage win, Malucelli still holds the blue jersey as he leads the sprint classification with 44 points to Pickrell’s 39.
With two stages remaining, Pickrell acknowledged the challenge ahead but remains optimistic.
"This win would mean a lot less if he (Malucelli) wasn’t here. He’s a great sprinter and someone I respect a lot."
"The last two sprint stages are more suited to him. But it’s a long race and everyone has a lot of mileage in the legs, so anything can happen," added Pickrell.
Meanwhile, there was no swapping of jerseys after yesterday’s stage.
STAGE 6 RESULTS
Top 10 finishers: 1. Riley Pickrell (Can) Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, 2. Matteo Malucelli (Ita) XDS-Astana, 3. Seppe Van Den Boer (Bel) Tudor Pro Cycling, 4. Rory Townsend (Ire) Unibet Rose Rockets, 5. Christiaan Van Rees (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL, 6. Guillermo Juan Martinez (Col) Team Picnic PostNL, 7. Rodrigo Alvarez Rodriguez (Esp) Burgos Burpellet-BH, 8. Iker Villar Galdeano (Esp) Caja Rural-Suguros RGA, 9. Javier Ibanez (Esp) Caja Rural-Suguros RGA, 10. Jose Manuel Diaz (Esp) Burgos Burpellet-BH (Note: All same time 2’40:06).
Orange Jersey (Overall Leader): 1. Lennart Jasch (Ger) Tudor Pro Cycling 21’38:39, 2. Jan Castellon (Esp) Caja Rural-Suguros RGA 21’39:21, 3. Jose Manuel Diaz (Esp) Burgos Burpellet-BH 21’39:50, 4. Eivind Broholt Foughner (Nor) Unibet Rose Rockets 21’40:16, 5. Jorge Gutierrez Gonzalez (Esp) Equipo Kern Pharma 21’40:34.
Blue Jersey (Best Sprinter): 1. Matteo Malucelli (Ita) XDS-Astana 44 pts, 2. Riley Pickrell (Can) Modern Adventure Pro Cycling 39, 3. Ronan Auge (Fra) Unibet Rose Rockets 20.
Polka Dot Jersey (King of Mountain): 1. Lennart Jasch (Ger) Tudor Pro Cycling 45 pts, 2. Petr Rikunov (Rus) Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu 41, 3. Jan Cestellon (Esp) Caja Rural-Suguros RGA 26.
White Jersey (Best Asian Rider): 1. Yuhi Todeme (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team 21’46:00, 2. Tsen Ren Bao (Mas) St George Continental 21’49:44, 3. Tsen Ren Han (Mas) Malaysia National Team 21’51:25.
Team General Classification: 1. Caja Rural-Suguros RGA 65’07:03, 2. Unibet Rose Rockets 65’10:36, 3. Bardiani CSF 7 Saber 65’16:06.
Best Asian Team: 1. Nusantara 65’47:24, 2. Malaysia National Team 66’03:41, 3. 47’52:55, 3. Thailand Continental Cycling 66’27:47.
